Ned’s Lantern Dance

“Sway, turn, bow!” says Tessa. Ned turns—and bows to a bush.

The bush rustles. A sleepy beetle crawls out from under a leaf and gives Ned a tiny nod.

“Thank you,” says Ned. “You’re a very polite bush.”

Tessa giggles. She is a little ghost with a ribbon tied around her wrist. Ned is a little ghost with a blue scarf that floats behind him like a wavy tail.

They practice in a grassy clearing where strings of paper lanterns hang between the trees. The lanterns are shaped like pears, boats, and one very round frog. Tonight, the village ghosts will gather here to dance beneath them.

Ned wants to do the gentle turning dance all the way through. He has learned the sway and the bow. The turn is the tricky part.

“Watch my feet,” says Tessa. “Sway, turn, bow.”

She sways left, makes one neat turn, and bows to a lantern shaped like a boat.

Ned sways left. He turns once, then once more, then one more time because the grass looks like it is going around in circles.

He stops facing a tree.

“Hello, tree,” he says. “I’m Ned.”

“You’ve met that tree already,” Tessa says. “Twice.”

Ned tries again. “Sway, turn, bow!” He spins past Tessa, past the frog lantern, and ends up looking at his own scarf.

The scarf flaps across his face. Ned peeks around it. “Did I bow?”

“Your scarf did,” says Tessa. “It was lovely.”

A small crowd of ghosts is beginning to arrive. Grandmother Wisp carries a basket of berry buns. The twins, Rill and Rook, bring little paper fans. Everyone is getting ready for the evening lantern gathering.

Ned watches them set out cushions in a circle. He wants to dance with the others, not greet every tree and scarf along the way.

“Let’s practice once more,” says Tessa.

Ned looks up at the lanterns, then down at the grass. His scarf settles behind him.

“All right,” he says. “I can do one turn. I just need to know where to stop.”

Tessa taps her chin. Ned looks from one side of the clearing to the other. The lanterns hang in long rows, and the frog, boat, and pear all seem to be watching him.

“Maybe I can use two lanterns,” Ned says. “One to start, and one to stop.”

He chooses the boat lantern at the left edge of the clearing as his starting place. Across from it hangs a little yellow star lantern. It is easy to spot, even between the pear and the frog.

“Boat first,” says Ned. “Star at the end.”

Tessa stands by the star. “I’ll be your marker.”

Ned faces the boat. Tessa lifts one finger. “Sway, turn, bow!”

Ned sways. He begins to turn, keeping the star in sight. The lantern slides across his view. His scarf swishes around his shoulder. He turns until the star is straight ahead.

“Stop!” calls Tessa.

Ned stops. His knees wobble like two little jelly rolls, but he faces the star.

He bows.

“Ha!” says Ned. “I found the right place.”

They practice again. This time Ned turns too slowly, and his scarf curls around his chin. On the next try, he goes a little too far and has to make a tiny back-up wiggle.

“Still between boat and star,” Tessa reminds him.

Ned watches the markers. He listens for Tessa’s cheerful count. Sway. Turn. Bow. Each time, he stops closer to the star. Each time, his wobble gets smaller.

Soon Grandmother Wisp claps her hands. “It’s time for the dance!”

The ghosts gather in the clearing. Ned takes his place beside Tessa. The boat lantern hangs behind him. The star lantern waits across the grass.

The music begins with a plink from a wooden music box. Ned sways. Tessa sways beside him. He turns, sees the boat slide away and the star come around, and keeps turning until it is right in front of him.

He stops. His knees wobble. His scarf flips over one shoulder.

Ned bows to the star.

The crowd claps. Rill and Rook flap their paper fans. Grandmother Wisp cheers, “Bravo, Ned!”

Ned has completed the turning dance. He gives Tessa a happy, lopsided bow, and she bows right back.

The music box plays a slower tune. The ghosts make a wide circle beneath the lantern strings, and the paper boats and pears sway above them. Ned stays beside Tessa, feeling the grass brush his toes as he moves.

“Sway,” whispers Tessa.

Ned sways.

“Turn,” she says.

Ned turns, watching the yellow star lantern come around. He does not hurry. His scarf trails behind him in a quiet blue loop.

“Bow,” says Tessa.

Ned bows. This time he faces the right way without even a wobble.

“Well,” he says, “I still like the wobble part.”

“So do I,” says Tessa. “It makes the dance yours.”

The other ghosts take turns dancing. Rill and Rook spin together, then stop nose to nose and bow. Grandmother Wisp dances with her basket tucked under one arm. One berry bun bounces out, and she catches it with her other hand without missing a step.

Everyone laughs, including the bun.

When the tune ends, the ghosts share berry buns and sit on cushions in the grass. Ned tells the beetle about his dance. The beetle, who has climbed onto a clover leaf, raises one feeler as if giving a grand review.

“Five feelers out of five,” Ned says.

Tessa folds her ribbon and tucks it into her pocket. The clearing grows quiet between songs. Lanterns hang above the friends, and their colors rest on the grass like little patches of paint.

Ned looks once more at the boat lantern, then the star. He remembers how he found his way from one to the other. His shoulders loosen, and his scarf lies still.

The gathering is nearly over. The ghosts say good night in small, sleepy voices. Ned and Tessa wave to Grandmother Wisp, Rill, and Rook, then glide along the path at an easy pace.

At the edge of the clearing, Ned turns back. Beneath the lanterns, he gives one last gentle sway, just for himself. Then he floats home through the quiet grass, carrying the dance in his thoughts as the village settles for the night.